10/04/2026
The Beginning of a Leadership Journey | Sunday Reflection
Our STEM room was full on a September Saturday morning.
Parents and guardians, mentors, NorthStar staff, and, most importantly, fourteen high school juniors who make up our new Leadership NorthStar cohort were all there to begin a two-year journey together.
Half of these young men have been with NorthStar since elementary school. The other half are from across our community who are new. All are rock stars. Every one of them applied to be there, completing an essay and a video as part of the process, with the support and permission of a parent or guardian.
These young men chose to be there.
That Saturday gave them their first look at what the next two years will hold. Alexander Cayetano led them through a Gallup Strengths workshop, and our Adventure team led a corporate team-building exercise with NorthStar alums Chu Say and Poe Hobza. It was four hours of growth and fellowship, with plenty more to come.
Our mentors also introduced themselves and shared some of their own journeys to leadership. They come from a diverse range of occupations and are national-level leaders in their fields, including artificial intelligence, business, and education, along with a former Nike corporate executive. What they have in common is a willingness to give their time and experience to these young men.
I was proud to look around the room and see our young leaders surrounded by real-world examples of Belonging, Hope, and Agency.
What stayed with me most, though, was the sense of community. During a parent breakout, families talked about how eager their sons had been to join Leadership NorthStar and how hard they had worked on their applications. They also talked about their gratitude for mentors who can help their sons thrive in a world that keeps changing.
I saw that same commitment from the mentors. They were just as eager to pour into these young men, share what they have learned, and be there for them as they begin thinking more seriously about who they are and where they want to go.
That Saturday was only the beginning.
Over the next two years, these fourteen young men will learn together, challenge themselves, build relationships with their mentors, and experience opportunities that will take them well beyond our campus. That journey will include two capstone trips, one at the end of their junior year and another during their senior year.
I don't know yet what those two years will mean for each of them. That's part of what makes the beginning so exciting. But I know what I saw: fourteen young men who chose to be in that room, families who believe in what is possible for them, and mentors ready to walk alongside them.
A new Leadership NorthStar chapter has begun. I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
Always Forward,
Wayne
